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Girls Golf: A pair of runner-ups for area

NISSWA — Friday was frustratingly similar to both the team and individual first-round leaders of the Pines/Preserve Invite.

For the Pequot Lakes Patriots, who shot a team best 333 Thursday at Grand View Lodge’s Preserve to claim the first round lead, Friday’s round at the Pines saw a rise in scores and a fall in the standings.

Brainerd’s Jenny Muesing, who shot a first-round 74, suffered a similar fate at the more difficult Pines’ Woods and Marsh nines. Muesing finished second to Grand Rapids’ Katie Sheets after shooting an 85 Friday for a 159. Sheets shot rounds of 76 and 80 for a three shot win.

The Patriots missed hanging on to the lead by one stroke. The St. Cloud Apollo Eagles moved up three spots with Friday’s 338 to win the team title by one stroke over the Patriots, who shot a 355 for a two-day 688.

“It’s tough to lose by one,” said Pequot head coach Jon Dale. “I’m sure every one of the girls will say they could have shaved a stroke off. It is still so early in the season, but I was really impressed with their score Thursday and they did fine again today. But they realize now that it could come down to one stroke. Maybe this is a learning experience.”

Pequot’s Savannah Stone finished third individually with a 160. She followed Thursday’s 78 with an 82 Friday. The par 5 sixth hole of the Marsh and the par 4 seventh of the Woods gave the junior trouble, but she peppered 11 pars into her round, which she said was her goal.

“(Thursday) was a little better than today, but I held in there,” said Stone. “I just wanted to get on the green in regulation and then just two putt for par. I had one bad hole, but made up for it with some pars.”

Stone’s teammate Maggie Heggerston fired a 173, Erika Schwalbe shot 175 and Sam Olmsheid a 180 leading to Pequot’s score in the team’s first tournament of the season.

“We’re just trying to keep focused and play the round that’s ahead of us,” said Stone about dealing with high expectations this season after finishing fourth in last year’s Class 2A state tournament. “We have a lot of talks just to keep us focused.”

Muesing shot nines of 42-43 for her 85. She carded three pars on the Woods nine and four on the Marsh. Two double bogeys on the Marsh was her undoing.

“It was a little rough out there today,” said Muesing after her Friday round. “I knew this course would play a little tougher so I was expecting something a little higher. I was hoping for a little lower. I was able to get myself out of tough situations. I was hitting things a little right and I was able to kind of at least make bogey or par.

“I would like my swing a little more consistent. That’s what got me today. I was starting to change things when I got nervous.”

Staples-Motley’s Emily Israelson finished fourth individually. The sophomore shot an 82 Friday to follow her 81 Thursday. She scored seven pars and two bogeys for a 2-over 38 on the Woods. She birdied the par 5 first hole of the Marsh, but followed it with a double and finished with 44 on the March.

“I was hoping for a 77 or 76 and I think if my putting would have came around I could have thrown up that kind of number,” Israelson said. “I thought I hit some good shots out there, but a lot of times I missed clubbed it and those cost me a lot. The holes that I tripled and doubled I went way too far over. It was an OK start to the season.”

The Cardinals did move up five spots from 14th to ninth. Cierra Waverek, who missed Thursday’s round shot a 98. Emily Ladd, shaved nine strokes from her Thursday round to shoot 100.

Crosby-Ironton saw its three players shave a combined 10 strokes from Thursday’s round.

Due to an unreadable fax, C-I’s Merissa Louks score was written as a 176 in Friday’s paper. It should have been a 126. The sophomore shot a 119 Friday to score a 245 for the two rounds.

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